I Went Viral on a Dating Show After a Marriage Alliance

[Ongoing novel: My Slacker Roommate Accidentally Became a Dad. Please add it to your reading list. Click the author's page to see it; the blurb is below~] Blurb: The Zhang family had two sons. One was their real son, who got lost at the age of two and wasn't found until he was eighteen. The other was Zhang Shuyi, an adopted son who had been brought home at five and raised to become the heir. After the real son returned, Zhang Shuyi found himself in a miserable position: he lost his inheritance rights and his parents' love and support. Even the family's housekeepers took turns picking on him. In the end, he was kicked out and forced into the entertainment industry, where he became a nobody who could barely make ends meet. While working as an extra, he accidentally hit his head and lay unconscious for three days and nights. When Zhang Shuyi woke up, he finally realized the truth: he was inside a wealthy-family novel, playing a cannon-fodder character whose sole purpose was to make the real son look good. Just as he decided to cut ties with the Zhang family for good and focus on his own life, he was suddenly told he had to marry into the Li family, an entertainment-industry giant! Zhang Shuyi: Heh. If it's such a good deal, why don't you send your own son? The Zhangs: Shuyi, your younger brother only came home a few years ago. We haven't had enough time with him yet. You see, this... Zhang Shuyi would rather die than agree! But they still dragged him to the meeting. The man before him was tall and elegant. The generous marriage terms were written in black and white in the contract. "Is this really such a hardship?" Zhang Shuyi's eyes curved into a smile, and his signing hand practically blurred. "A little, yeah." After the wedding, his new husband shoved the script for a dating reality show in front of him. "This is the hottest show right now. I need you to join me as my partner. We both benefit, then go our separate ways when the show ends." "But..." Zhang Shuyi said, feigning hesitation. "If you're worried, we can get the divorce papers when filming begins. But I can only give them to you after the show airs. Of course, you'll get your breakup fee at the same time." Zhang Shuyi was reassured, but to avoid looking too greedy, he tried to hold back his smile. "I'll think about it." His manager thought he was nervous. "There are plenty of popular celebrities. You're just going to be in the background. Not many people will pay attention to you, so don't put too much pressure on yourself." His new husband also reassured him. "We're only pretending to be a couple. When the show ends, I'll post a statement clarifying things. It won't affect your career." "All right!" He'd get paid to appear on the show and receive a huge breakup fee afterward. Of course Zhang Shuyi wouldn't turn down such a great deal! * Since he was getting paid, Zhang Shuyi diligently maintained his fake relationship with his sugar daddy. [Is this what a real couple looks like? I'm getting so flustered!] [Aaaah! Real couples are so addictive!] Zhang: Umm... but the couple you're shipping is fake~ He didn't notice that his new husband's gaze had quietly shifted from distant and cool to burning and intent... When the show ended, Zhang Shuyi had made a fortune and reached the peak of his life. Once their agreement expired, he posted a photo of the divorce papers. The internet exploded! [They were so sweet, and they still got divorced. I'll never believe in love again.] [That Li guy must have bullied Shuyi and broken his heart, so he got divorced!] Meanwhile, the man surnamed Li stared at the divorce papers that had been stolen from him ahead of time on the screen. His heart felt completely empty. * Not long afterward, the Zhang family's company ran into financial trouble due to poor management, and they came begging for help. Zhang Shuyi slammed the door shut. "Get lost!" The knocking continued. He opened the door, ready to hit someone, but the man outside was his ex-husband. "There's a show that wants you to join me. Would you give it a try?" Mr. Li, who should have been triumphant after getting what he wanted, was unshaven, his bloodshot eyes full of pleading. [Revised 2023.10.25] 1. At first, Shuyi only sees Mr. Li as a friend. 2. At first, Li needs to appear on the show and make his debut to escape his family. 3. Both are virgins; one-on-one. Coming soon: My Slacker Roommate Accidentally Became a Dad. Please add it to your reading list! Blurb: Bian Yuexi is good at everything, and practically a legend at A University. His grades are outstanding, and his name appears on all kinds of competition awards. He has enough certificates to cover the walls of an entire room. He got into the prestigious A University with excellent grades and continued to work hard after enrolling. You can find him anywhere connected to studying, from the library to the reading room. He's strikingly handsome, too. On the first day of university, an older student who came to meet him secretly took his photo. Before long, nearly every student at A University had seen it. His grades and looks would be enough, but he's also excellent at arts, entertainment, and sports. He's the host of all kinds of department and university events. He's the first to cross the finish line in both long- and short-distance races, and he wins prizes in both high jump and long jump. No one knows that he works so hard for just one reason: prize money! Otherwise, he doesn't want to know the misery of having an insufficient balance. His roommate, Cheng Ye, is another legend at A University. But he's the complete opposite of Bian Yuexi. He never enters competitions, sleeps through every major class, and signs up for the annual sports meet only to embarrass himself in front of the whole university. But he's lucky! Not only was he born with a handsome face, he's tall, long-legged, and in great shape, with countless admirers around him. His family is filthy rich, too. What made him a legend was that for two years running, he failed every single course and was ordered to retake them, delaying his graduation! He was absolutely the first person in A University's history to do that! Somehow, these two people from opposite ends of the spectrum ended up together. One of them got pregnant, and owed the university clinic money for the tests. Bian Yuexi took the test results to Cheng Ye, struggling to say the words. "I'm pregnant, but I didn't..." Cheng Ye checked the test results again and again, then said, astonished but resolute, "All right. Let's get married." Bian Yuexi: "???" There was really no need! * After unexpectedly getting pregnant, Bian Yuexi could no longer do many of the things he'd already planned. "The university arts troupe is putting on a dance performance. First prize is 3,000 yuan." Cheng Ye: "...I'll go in your place." Cheng Ye lived up to Yuexi's hopes and came back with first prize. Photos of him onstage went viral online. People who didn't know better thought he was making his debut as an entertainer. Bian Yuexi: "I signed up for the 50-meter, 100-meter, and 400-meter relay races, plus the 5,000-meter run at this sports meet." Cheng Ye: "All right." He came back with the first-place trophies and medals again. "And there's the Fifth Science and Technology Innovation Competition. My experiment is mainly about terbium..." "That stuff is radioactive. I'll do it for you." They won another prize. Cheng Ye was also chosen as an outstanding graduate representative to speak at the graduation ceremony thanks to his newfound drive. * One day, a middle-aged man with a cold expression came to see them. Bian Yuexi recognized him at once as Cheng Ye's father. He braced himself to be slapped in the face with a stack of money, then ordered to go abroad and stay away from the man's son. The man said, "My son has never been this motivated. If you don't mind, could you marry him?" Bian Yuexi: "Huh???" [Weibo screenshot archived 2024.11.06] P.S. 1. The one with a two-character name is the top. 2. The top isn't a good-for-nothing. He has his reasons. Theme: If birth is the lowest point, then every step is progress.